It’s day three and most of us have gotten some sense of a daily rhythm down. We are part of the morning crew and today we had some free time in the afternoon to venture outside the clinic. Passing meds can be a frustrating and laborious process depending on the campers so being outside was a very nice change of pace. We started down by the canoes and saw the “party barge,” which is used to take campers who are wheelchair bound out onto the lake. Next came the adaptive bikes, which can be used by any camper of any ability level. We all agree that he bikes were a highlight of the day…and yes that is speaking from personal experience. However, the counselors say the bikes are a little less fun when they have a runaway camper on their hands. Then we settled ourselves down to watch the campers ride the horses and we ended up teaching a young camper how to feed the horses.
At each station the activity staff members explained how the activity has been adapted to accommodate any child wishing to participate. At these stations we were also able to interact with the peer counselors. These counselors are adults with disabilities who have come to camp in the past as campers and now come as counselors. Most of us have given medications to these counselors over the past couple of days and experiencing them outside of the clinic gave us a completely new perspective of their abilities.
Many of our clinical experiences in the ABSN program are strictly professional and focused on medical care. But here at camp we really get to see the big picture of true wellness that encompasses the physical, emotional, and social health of these children. Who knows what tomorrow will bring inside or outside of the clinic doors!
Written by ABSN students Maddie Milner, Madison Kane, Sara Bowen